Nigerian sprint star Kanyinsola Ajayi has written his name into the nation’s athletics history after breaking the long-standing men’s 100 metres national record with a sensational 9.84-second performance at the NCAA Division I East First Round meet in the United States.
Key Highlights:
- Kanyinsola Ajayi broke Nigeria’s men’s 100m record with a time of 9.84 seconds at the NCAA Division I East First Round meet.
- He surpassed the previous national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in 2006.
- Ajayi’s 9.84-second run is currently the fastest 100m time recorded in the world this year.
- The achievement further highlights Ajayi’s rise as one of Nigeria’s top sprint talents on the global stage.
- Samuel Ogazi also set a new Nigerian 400m record of 43.82 seconds, boosting the country’s athletics profile.
The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete delivered the remarkable run during one of the quarter-final heats in the early hours of Saturday, eclipsing the previous national record of 9.85 seconds set by former sprint champion Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006.
Ajayi’s historic achievement ends a national record that had stood untouched for two decades and further confirms his emergence as one of the world’s fastest sprinters.
The Nigerian had already signalled his growing potential on the international stage when he clocked 9.88 seconds at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, becoming the first Nigerian in 18 years to qualify for the men’s 100m final.
He eventually finished sixth in the final, earning widespread acclaim.
His latest time of 9.84 seconds is currently the fastest recorded in the world this year, surpassing the previous world-leading mark set earlier in the week by Botswana’s 400m world champion, Collen Kebinatshipi.
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The performance also places Ajayi within touching distance of the NCAA men’s 100m record of 9.82 seconds established by American sprinter Christian Coleman in 2017.
With the feat, the Nigerian now ranks among the fastest collegiate athletes in United States history.
Nigeria’s success at the meet extended beyond the 100m event as Samuel Ogazi produced another outstanding display in the men’s 400m.
Ogazi raced to a new national record of 43.82 seconds, lowering his previous mark and improving on the world-leading time he had posted earlier this month.
The record-breaking performances by Ajayi and Ogazi represent a significant boost for Nigerian athletics and reinforce the country’s growing reputation on the global track and field stage.
